Department of Justice Information on the Office of Professional Responsibility's Operations

The Department of Justice Justice states that its attorneys should be held to the highest ethical standards. Members of Congress, judges, and the media have voiced concerns about the professionalism and conduct of certain Justice attorneys over the past several years. Concerns have also been raised about the process for holding Justices attorneys accountable to ethical standards. Because of these concerns, you asked us to review Justices Office of Professional Responsibility OPR, which is responsible for investigating allegations of misconduct involving Justice attorneys relating to the exercise of the attorneys authority to investigate, litigate, or provide legal advice. This report responds to your request that we determine how OPR conducts its inquiries into allegations of misconduct by Justice attorneys to what extent OPRs workload, as well as budget, have changed the possible range of disciplinary actions and procedures if employee misconduct is found OPRs oversight relationship with similar offices in other Justice components and the degree to which OPR has implemented our prior recommendations.